


The Steve's Boyfriend Job

by Merlin_Wolfgang_Trades_Hale



Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010), Leverage
Genre: Based on a Tumblr Post, Boys In Love, Boys Kissing, Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, Hardison/Eliot/Parker relationship mentioned, Jealous Steve McGarrett, M/M, Male Slash, OT3 Mentioned, Protective Eliot Spencer
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-12
Updated: 2019-10-12
Packaged: 2020-12-09 13:02:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,324
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20995241
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Merlin_Wolfgang_Trades_Hale/pseuds/Merlin_Wolfgang_Trades_Hale
Summary: Eliot visits his old military friend Steve McGarrett. He's baffled to learn that Steve and Danny aren't a couple yet after spending the whole day pretty convinced they were. He decides to help. Steve's always been one to act when he's jealous and so Eliot asks Danny out for drinks. Danny accepts seeing the facade and having the feeling Eliot wants a private word with him. They chat for a bit before Steve crashes the date and demands to speak with Danny.





	The Steve's Boyfriend Job

**Author's Note:**

> A big thanks to my lovely friend @RandoFandoMcDanno for looking over it and catching some mistakes I missed! <3

Despite the reckless energy he gives off, he doesn’t do things without thinking. There are times when he lets his instincts take hold and then he finds himself in certain situations he wouldn’t normally, but that’s neither here nor there. The point is that he does research and he does investigate. 

But the culinary business was very foreign to him. He liked to cook. It wasn’t a burning passion but he was very good at it. Reasonably, the answer to his prayers about his uncertainty and concerns was to back out but that wasn’t a feasible outcome. He couldn’t imagine not being partners with Danny for a single moment. So if Danny wanted to retire and open a restaurant then hell yeah Steve was going to follow him into the breach. 

The problem lay in the fact that this was far too unfamiliar territory. 

Luckily, he had resources. 

It took him a while to dig up Eliot’s number and his friend didn’t answer right away, but he left him a voice mail. 

Part of Steve felt guilty not interacting more with Eliot. They’d served together and gone through BUD/s together. They shared a brother’s bond so deep… it was a shame they didn’t keep contact. 

Steve knew that for a while Eliot had been good enough to have been on a SEAL’s Alpha Team. There were few in service at the time who didn't know his name. Eliot wasn’t as tall as some of them but there was no doubt when he had your back. 

When he left… well, it left a hole in their lives, that’s for sure. 

For a while, Steve actually thought he might have died. Whenever he thought of that, Steve forced himself to think that Eliot met a better fate. That he met someone nice and settled down. That his weekdays were full of helping with homework and complaining about co-workers and his weekends were little leagues and date nights with his partner. It wasn’t really the sort of guy Eliot was, but Steve prefers that than thinking one of his brothers was gone. 

So it was a delightful surprise when a few years back, Eliot drops a line. 

He’s not settled down exactly, but he’s found a place to call home. From the time he ran into Michael Vance, Steve felt a bit better at knowing that Eliot had a team that was very similar to that of Five-0. 

The next morning he’s actually woken up by his phone. He groaned as he searches for it, he doesn’t look at the number and answers it, only to get an ear full of statistics about restaurant successes versus failures, menu ideas involving Italian dishes using the best ingredients Hawaii had to offer during different times of the year, arguing about equipment that was standard and what was just added bells and whistles. 

Steve needs a moment to wake up properly and try to register at least half of what Eliot’s telling him. But even when he’s wide awake and alert, every other word that Eliot says just goes over his head. 

“Eliot...it’s like ten to five in the morning,” Steve muttered. 

_ “So? What, you getting soft in your old age?”  _

“Haha...look, I called because I wanted advice, not a lecture,” Steve said falling back into his pillows with his phone on speaker so he could rest it on his chest. 

_ “All of this is advice! Opening up a restaurant is a serious decision. It can’t be done on a whim. From what I remember, you were a pretty decent cook but you never seemed like the  _ opening a restaurant _ type of guy.”  _

“I can’t keep dodging bullets. I need to retire at some point and live long enough to enjoy my life with the people I care about.”

_ “I get that. But it still doesn’t really seem like something you’d do. I’d see you more in a private sector or security or even teaching some of the new SEALs.”  _

Huh. Those were good options. Obvious ones too. But he hadn’t thought about retirement until now. Not until Danny brought it up and wanted out. 

“Look. I’m doing this. Case closed. I don’t need your judgment just your advice.” 

_ “Don’t think cos you’re tall I won’t slap you upside the head for bein’ stupid, McGarrett.”  _

They banter for a bit more before Eliot says he’s gotta go. He tells Steve he’ll find some time to visit later and see for himself what sort of mess he’s gotten himself into. Once on the island, he sees the beginning of the setup and he’s honest with Steve. It’s…not the worst. But it leaves a lot to be desired and gives all credit to Steve’s partner…if only to make Steve ‘mad’. 

Eliot then meets Danny and sees their bond for himself and when he gets a moment alone with Steve he gets that ‘Eliot smile’, as Hardison calls it and he nudges Steve with his elbow, “You coulda told me you met someone….and listen,” He loses his smile and tells Steve very seriously, “this might be even tricker going into the biz with a romantic partner.” 

Steve stutters and has to tell Eliot that he and Danny are just partners…in the work sense. In the best friend sense…

This wasn’t the first time he and Danny were confused as a couple. He doesn’t get why explaining this to Eliot was any different than those times. But he felt himself get overheated with a blush that wouldn’t go away. He can’t look Eliot or Danny in the eye for a while and for whatever reason feels like he has to do some sort of job. Anything to make him feel like a handyman. 

Eliot calls bullshit but he knows Steve. He knows what it’s like to serve and have the pressure of a father expecting you to be the manliest man around. Being interested in another fella wasn’t going to fly and he and Steve lived in the shadows for a long time. He’s grown since leaving the military. For a long time after he still carried himself off as a man’s man. A macho tough guy that wanted to be feared to be respected in the twisted mindset he still carried. 

Then he met his team and slowly he felt himself be freed of old stigmas and expectations. 

He could see, clear as day, that Steve liked Danny a lot. And if he was reading things correctly, Danny liked Steve in turn. How to play this though? With Danny, he wasn’t sure. With Steve, however, he knew what might do the trick. 

Eliot spends the day talking business with them and whenever he could, he puts the charm on Danny. Nothing serious but enough to make Steve worry. Because of as much of a Smooth Dog as Steve was…Eliot’s charm was fucking legendary! 

Eliot and Danny talking about food, their time taking care of Steve making sure he doesn’t blow himself up, and hair care products. Danny is mesmerized by Eliot’s hair and Eliot and Danny share the same respect for hair care products, which just confuses the hell out of Steve. 

After a long day and while Danny was taking a call, Eliot pulled Steve to the side and asked, “Look, man…We’re friends, brothers even, but Danny’s pretty great. Do you mind if ask him out?”

Steve is stunned into silence and inwardly panicking but gives Eliot permission. He’s an adult. So is Danny. If Danny says yes, why…why would Steve’s feelings even be a problem? They’re not. Still, he watches with dread and bated breath as Eliot approaches Danny. Steve can see the way Eliot’s eyes twinkle with mirth and his smile becomes flirty. He says something in a low voice that makes Danny laugh. There’s more conversation and then he sees Danny nod. Eliot turns to Steve and gives him the  _ ‘score _ !’ thumbs up. And Steve totally doesn’t feel panic and jealousy as he watches them leave. He doesn’t. 

* * *

During their drinking, Eliot tells Danny, “You didn’t accept this as a real date did you?”

“I’ve seen Steve’s buddies from time to time…I don’t think they’d hurt him like this.”

“So you’re aware of how he feels for you?” Eliot asked with a raised eyebrow.

Danny shrugged and made a face. “I don’t doubt he loves me. I know he does. But there’s a mental step he hasn’t taken yet…and I can’t rush him. I won’t. I love him too much for that.”

“Good.” Because as good as a person as Danny seems, and Eliot approves of him for Steve, he’s still a protective friend. “Because I’ve served with a lot of great men…some were horrible people. Others were the best damn men ever to be born…and Steve’s one of them. He deserves to be happy.”

“Do I pass your test?” Danny asked with a small smile. 

“You do,” Eliot said with a smirk as he looked over Danny’s shoulder. “And I think that mental step just needed a bit of jealousy.”

Danny furrowed his brow and looked over to see Steve marching over, looking determined. “Stev-”

“Am I interrupting? Good. Danny I-”

“Easy smooth dog. I was just leaving.” Eliot said standing up. 

“What?” Steve asked, confused. 

“My partners need me, so I gotta head back. You two enjoy the evening. I’ll call you later.” Eliot told Steve with a knowing smirk. 

Steve blushed but took Eliot’s chair and smiled at Danny. “I hope I didn’t ruin your night…”

“You’re just lucky I like your company, babe.” 

Steve gave him a helpless smile as he grabbed Eliot’s unfinished drink and downed the rest of it. He needed a bit of liquid courage. “You accepted getting drinks with him. As a date. Like a date-date.”

“I did. A date-date with a friend of yours. I hope it’s okay.” Danny didn’t want to jump the gun. He knew other people saw their chemistry and confused them for a couple. He himself has come to terms with his emotions about Steve. The problem lay in Steve accepting that it was okay to be who he really was. Danny knew most of his past and could guess some of the things Steve just couldn’t share. The blond himself having to go through a few loops before he accepted some of his own truths. He wasn’t lying to Eliot when he said he loved Steve too much to force him into anything. He valued their friendship far too much to risk it. Though Steve was here, he needed to guide them both through to make sure there wasn’t a misunderstanding of some sort. 

“I…it was a date with a man,” Steve stated. There was a hint of confusion in his voice. 

Danny nodded. “Yes. I am bi. So I can date both.”

“Oh. I…I didn’t know. That you were bi, that is.” 

“I haven’t really dated a guy and just kind of recently came to terms with it myself. Though it’s something very huge to others, and it felt bit at the moment, I didn’t need a whole public thing.” Danny explained. 

“Right.” Steve licked his lips as he tried to find the words to continue with. He just couldn’t find them. 

“Steve?”

“Hm?” He looked up, alert and a bit panicked still. 

“Do you want this to be considered a date-date?” Danny asked gently. 

Steve still looked a bit panicked but also determined. “I…I would. If you want it to be.”

“I want,” Danny assured him, reaching out to place his hand over Steve’s. 

Steve smiled and grabbed Danny’s hand in his. As far as dates go, it was one of the calmer ones Steve’s ever had. He and Danny enjoyed their drinks and ordered a burger each. They talked about their plans and ideas for the restaurant and about Eliot. Danny tells Steve Eliot’s plan to help ease him about some of the guilt about crashing the date. Steve feels a bit childish but tries to remind himself to get Eliot something before he leaves as a thank you. 

They go for a walk on the beach as it gets darker. It’s so simple and shouldn’t feel so grand but being side by side with Danny knowing that it was considered romantic on both sides, was the best feeling ever. When Danny drops him off at home and walks him to the door, he feels butterflies in his stomach. He’s not used to this. To being courted. He feels like he should be ashamed, and like he should be the one taking Danny home and dropping him off at his door. But he reminds himself that he will. He will do all the romantic things for Danny as he’s sure Danny will do for him.

Danny’s about to leave, but Steve pulls him and steals a kiss. Quick and simple, but it’s got both of them smiling. 

“See you tomorrow?” Steve felt like he was a teenager, but much freer. 

“I’ll bring the malasadas. You have the coffee ready.” Danny winked at him before heading to his car. 

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you smile like that.” 

Steve didn’t jump…or at least not that much. Eliot was on the sofa eating take-out and watching TV on mute. Steve plopped down next to him and grabbed one of the take out containers that were on the coffee table and helped himself. 

“Danny makes me happy,” Steve stated. 

“Good. You deserve it. Just do me a favor. Actually, two.” 

“What?” 

“Don’t get blown up, and don’t make Danny lose his hair. He’s got amazing hair.” 

Steve chuckled but he promised. 

“When do you leave?”

“Soon. I can’t stay away long. Between Hardison, Parker and I, the self-control’s all mine.” 

“Who are Hardison and Parker?” Steve asked. 

“My boyfriend and girlfriend,” Eliot replied casually. 

  
“Your  _ what _ ?” 


End file.
